Staying active and healthy will help you stay sober in many ways. One fear in recovery is getting bored--a great way to combat this is to keep active. Living in Colorado offers many outdoor activities that make your body stronger and healthier. You can also meet new people who care about their health and being active, attracting you to a positive new group of friends.
Here are a few helpful ideas:
Join a Local Gym
Make sure you have a membership to your local gym. At Serenity Falls, we offer free gym memberships to every girl who enters. The gym is two blocks away from the house. Trails Rec Center has climbing walls, gyms, batting cages, tracks, pools, and locker rooms where you can work out.
However, if you're not a member of Serenity Falls, it's easy to get gym memberships that fit in your price range. For those who are recently clean and have few to no options in terms of paying for a membership, fear not. Denver is lucky to be home to The Phoenix, a free gym for any addict or alcoholic who wants to join. This community provides everything from biking to boxing and even camping!
Eat Healthy Foods and Have Fun Doing it!
Another way to stay healthy is to eat well. There's a saying in NA, "They put down the spoon and picked up the fork." I've heard of many women in our Sober Living feeling insecure over gaining weight in recovery. When you're trying to be healthy, the most important thing is making good food in the kitchen. A fun way for anyone to learn about cooking and how good it is for them is to take cooking lessons. My favourite local Denver cooking class to recommend to the women in our house is "Denver Cooking Classes." Their staff is fun and knowledgeable; additionally, the girls in our program consistently report having a blast; check out this fun Denver Sober Living activity here.
One way to stay active is to be a part of a group. Joining a group allows you to plug into something bigger than you are. During each month, there are a lot of marathons for different causes. Many people think they have to run these marathons and can't imagine them doing something that daunting. However, most people who participate in this have group meet-ups to walk, jog, or run together all centered around participating in local running competitions.
Likewise, you can walk for a good cause. Many people go on walks to raise money for a charity of their choice. You could also choose to pick the next one that comes up. It is easy to do, and your friends and family can help. Plus, it helps to become part of a local community.
Playing Local Sports
In my experience, the most popular option for many in recovery is to join a local recovery sports team. There is a club for people who like basketball, soccer, softball, and many other sports in Denver. You can join them with your friends from the house or treatment. And don't worry if you're not athletic, every group I've been to places a high emphasis on having fun and meeting friends and they cater to everyone from those who are extremely athletic to those who have significant physical limitations. You can find a link to a Denver Based Sober Softball League here.
Staying active is crucial to staying sober. If you can find something that catches your interest and provides health benefits, you'll reap the reward of long-term recovery, a healthy body, higher self-esteem, and a rich community of friends.